Explanations and Presentations General

This lesson will give some guidelines on how to explain something and how to speak during presentations. Because I cannot be specific to every topic, I'll choose general ones. You should primarily be looking at the structure and style for this Business English lesson.

It is understandable if you feel nervous or uneasy about having to explain something in English. Because English is not your first language, it is very difficult. However, in the office, you will be in many situations when you have to explain something. Here are 3 tips to make your explanation or presentation easier.

First, you should not talk fast. I work in a large company with many different people from all over the world. The hardest time I have when listening to someone is when they talk fast with a bad accent. The problem they have is that they are fluent and comfortable speaking English, but they do not realize how bad their accent is. If you speak slower, you can avoid this problem. Unless you are certain that your accent is understandable, always speak a little slower.

Second, you should speak clearly. Say each word clearly and emphasize the important words. Even if they don't understand every word in your sentence, they will understand the whole meaning with proper emphasis.

Third, prepare and practice ahead of time. You should record yourself and listen to the recording. You should also get an American friend to judge you. This is a lot of work you have to do in the beginning, but this is VERY important. Even though it will make your presentation or explanation clearer and better, that is not the reason I am saying you should do the recording and getting a friend to listen. The reason why this is so important is because you are laying the foundation on proper communication in regards to intonation and pronunciation. For example, if you don't do this, you might think you don't have a problem and you will continue to practice incorrectly. Soon, you will be someone who can talk fast but have terrible pronunciation. You will become the type of people I described... hard to understand. If you take the time to practice for several hours before each presentation, you will be practicing the correct way to enhance your English abilities.